1. Technical Field
The technology disclosed herein relates to an actuator and to a drive device and an imaging device including this actuator.
2. Background Information
One electromagnetic actuator that has been often used in the past in imaging devices and so forth, which is disclosed in Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2007-241254), has a magnet, a coil that faces this magnet and moves the magnet with magnetic force generated when current is passed through the coil, and a magnetism detection element that faces the magnet and detects the position of the magnet.
Meanwhile, the electromagnetic actuator disclosed in Patent Literature 2 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2007-66499) has a magnet that is magnetized so that three or more magnetic poles are aligned.
There needs to be a certain amount of latitude in an electromagnetic actuator in relation to the layout of the coil and the magnetism detection element with respect to the magnet in order to satisfy various restrictions in terms of designing the drive device and imaging device in which the electromagnetic actuator will be housed. In view of this, making use of a magnet that is magnetized with an arrangement of three or more magnetic poles, as in Patent Literature 2, is one possible way to increase this latitude.